THE transit strike that ate Christ mas ended as pathetically as it began – with hopeless union representatives mired in the mess they created.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Theodore Jones – who in the morning was ready to toss strike leaders in jail – gazed at the empty seats in his courtroom.

“Apparently,” Jones intoned, the lawyer for the Transport Workers Union “has become encumbered in the traffic in Manhattan.”

I’ll bet.

Conspicuously absent in the courtroom was Roger Toussaint – the imbecilic union chief who on Wednesday got before the cameras to stage a public meltdown. He whined that his union was striking not for money or benefits, but for “respect.”

Apparently, the hard-partying Toussaint’s quest for martyrdom was tempered by his disdain for prison food. He caved faster than a Frenchman when faced with jail time, and called off the strike.

So three days later, and what have we got?

The city has lost hundreds of millions in revenue. Small businesses have been crushed. Vulnerable workers who can afford it the least have lost desperately needed income.

And yesterday, a firefighter was in critical condition after the bike he was riding was hit by a private bus carrying workers. Now, the union has blood on its hands.

Most ridiculously of all, transit workers still don’t have a contract. So why the hell were the people of this city put through this?

That fact was not lost on the judge, who reserved the right to jail Toussaint in the future, should he wake up with a full belly after Christmas and decide to throw another strike.

Perhaps the most lasting legacy of Strike 2005 is that New Yorkers now feel vulnerable to the union thugs. We will not soon forget.

“How can we trust them?” said Erica Barrow, who walked in Downtown Brooklyn clutching several large shopping bags.

“How do we know they won’t hold us hostage again?” We don’t.

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Monteleone, who lives in Bay Ridge, rose at 5:30 a.m. to fight traffic to the courthouse, and watch Toussaint get dragged off in handcuffs.

He was disappointed.

Back in 1980, Monteleone, now 83, ended the last transit strike by levying a $1 million fine against the union. He dripped with disdain for the current leadership.

“Toussaint enjoys the publicity,” Monteleone snickered.

“He’s enjoying this – to the detriment of the people of this city.

“He’s an ego person. There’s no excuse for bringing the city to its knees.”